How Will City Zone Marijuana Shops When Feds Legalize? – TPR Hamilton | Hamilton's Civic Affairs News Site

January 15, 2016
Ward 3 Councillor Matthew Green wants the City to think how it will zone businesses selling legalized marijuana as the federal Liberals move forward on their promise to “legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana.”
“I see the vape shows as being a progression towards dispensaries for marijuana, potentially”, Green stated at this week’s Business Improvement Area Advisory Committee discussion on business licensing.
He asked staff if they are planning for licensing upon the legalization of marijuana.
The City’s Manager of Licensing Ken Leendertse says the City is looking to add vape shops to the City’s tobacco licensing bylaw. Separately, Public Health is looking at regulations about the display of drug paraphernalia in variety stores and other businesses.
Reuters was one of the first media outlets to cover the rise of vape shops and the use of vape devices by legal marijuana users.
There was no motion resulting from Tuesday’s discussion, but it is noteworthy as this discussion of zoning and marijuana shops is underway at City Hall.
The clip at the top of this story is from the January 12, 2016 Business Improvement Area Advisory Committee. Here’s a link to the full video of the meeting indexed at the beginning of the highlight clip.